Senate greenlights Moniz nomination

Even in a bitterly divided Capitol, Democrats and Republicans joined together Thursday in a sweeping vote to confirm Ernest Moniz as Energy secretary.

The vote was 97-0.

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The vote installs Moniz, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor and seasoned veteran of Washington, as the second key member of Obama’s second-term energy and environment team. The Senate last month approved outdoor retailer and conservationist Sally Jewell as Interior secretary.

A third nomination, that of Gina McCarthy to head EPA, faces a less certain fate after a fractured Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 10-8 earlier Thursday to send her nomination to the floor, where she could face a GOP filibuster.

In contrast, both Moniz and Jewell sailed through the confirmation process with few fireworks. Most of the criticism Moniz has faced has come from some liberal groups that objected to his support for natural gas production and his connections to the energy industry.

“He has had one of the smoother confirmation hearings that we have had in quite some time,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, adding that “he is an impressive nominee.”

Moniz won over conservative and liberal lawmakers alike with his diverse résumé.

“A number of my colleagues and I are optimistic about Dr. Moniz’s pragmatic approach to solving the country’s energy challenges,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the floor before the vote.

Over the years, Moniz has expressed support for shale gas production and increased reliance on renewables, a position that mirrors President Barack Obama’s “all-of-the-above” energy strategy.

Moniz served as an undersecretary at the Energy Department during the Clinton administration, and has testified before Congress more than nine times in the past decade.

He heads the MIT Energy Initiative, which is funded in part by BP, Saudi Aramco and Shell. And he has disclosed substantial personal financial holdings and paid roles with a broad range of energy companies.

“In my view, Dr. Moniz is smart about energy policy, he is savvy about how the Department of Energy operates and he is solution oriented,” energy committee Chairman Ron Wyden said on the floor.

Moniz’s nomination faced a speed bump after GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham placed a hold on him to press concerns about the Obama administration’s funding for a MOX nuclear facility in the senator’s home state of South Carolina. But Graham stressed that the hold had nothing to do with Moniz’s qualifications.

Graham ultimately dropped the hold last week after talking to the White House about the MOX facility. He voted for Moniz on Thursday.

“We’re holding a lot of people,” Graham said earlier this week. “I don’t dislike him. I think he’ll be a good secretary.”

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 2:37 p.m. on May 16, 2013.